Customer Reviews

Libby's London Merchant & Miss Chartley's Guided Tour (Signet Regency Romance)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In reading Carla Kelly, it is important to know that the world is not as black and white as it appears in other romances. Many of her heros and heroines do not come from the peerage, and many of them have real issues and little way of fighting them. Like the rest of us, these characters make the best choices they can at the time and miraculously find love along the way. That said, I love the rare Kelly books I've found, and these two stories are right up there with the best.

In Libby's London Merchant, we begin with a stock enough situation -- a handsome young Duke agrees to disguise himself and investigate the unknown country miss that his friend is intended to marry. There's a definite attraction there, but...is he the right man for her after all?

In Miss Chartley's Guided Tour, we begin by seeing our hero at his lowest point, avoiding his own wedding and leaving Omega Chartley at the altar. Who was to know that fate would bring them together again many years down the road. Can these two older-but-wiser folk make better choices the second time around?

Kelly's romances are high on telling glances, low on sexual content -- safe for me to loan to my mother-in-law. They provide some interesting information on the way that the less-privileged classes lived during the Regency period. Give this duology a try, but prepare yourself for something out of the ordinary.

This is treat not to be missed: two of Carla Kelly's better Regency novels in one package! Both "Libby's London Merchant" and "Miss Chartley's Guided Tour" are reprints from the late 1980s-early 1990s, but they still make for enjoyable and engaging reading today, as they did then; and are wonderful examples of how a fascinating plot, together with appealing characters, and a pleasing writing style, make for pleasurable reading.

I'm not going to go into the plot of "Libby's London Merchant" too much, because much of the joy that is to be gleaned from this novel is the unexpected twist and turns that this romance takes. Briefly, the plot of this novel centers on the beautiful Miss Elizabeth Ames, who suffers from the twin evils of both possessing undesirable family connections (her maternal grandfather was a tobacconist) and of being quite penniless. Fortunately for Libby, her's is a rather sunny disposition and she is quite content living with her mother and brother on her kindly uncle's estate, helping her mother run her uncle's house, and being a friend and companion to her cousin, Lydia. Interestingly enough while Libby still has hopes that she will one day find a gentleman who would love her enough to overlook her unfortunate circumstances, she seems to be oblivious to the fact that the awkward but dedicated village doctor, Dr. Cook, is quite in love with her. And then one day, everything changes. A handsome stranger has a carriage accident, and is taken to her uncle's house to recuperate. The stranger proves to be a London chocolate merchant, and he is handsome and charming and in no time at all, Libby finds herself falling deep into the stranger's thrall. However this London merchant is no ordinary tradesman. He is actually Benedict Nesbitt, the Duke of Knaresborough, who has donned a disguise in order to take Lydia Ames's measure (subplot involving the Duke's down-on-his-luck cousin who has to marry Lydia because she is an heiress). What a bonus that Lydia's cousin would turn out to be so beautiful and charming! In no time at all, the Duke decides that he wants to marry Libby. But will he still want to do so when he discovers her family connections and her lack of a dowry? What will Libby do if the Duke turns his back on her after he learns everything? And what of Dr. Cook?

In the opening chapter of "Miss Chartley's Guided Tour," Omega Chartley discovers that she has been jilted at the church door by her fiance, Matthew Bering. Things go from bad to worse for our heroine, when on the heels of that humiliating disaster, Omega's father looses all his money. Deciding to make her own way in the world, Omega finds employment as an instructor at an academy for young girls. And now, for the first time in years, she is all set to have her first holiday. Her vacation however takes an unexpected turn when she helps a young 10 year boy evade a Bow Street Runner. James Clevenden, tired of the cruel manner in which his legal guardian deals with him, has runaway from his home, hoping to reach his other uncle's home, and so find sanctuary. Imagine Omega's surprise when upon arriving at the uncle's estate, he turns out to be her erstwhile fiance, Matthew Berring, and her deep disappointment when Matthew seems all set to return James to his cruel guardian! Can Omega forgive Matthew for jilting her in such a public and humiliating manner? And what is she to make of his determination not to interfere with the manner in which James is being ill treated? As for Matthew, he never thought he'd ever see Omega again. And he's not sure if he should tell her the truth as to why he abandoned her. For there is a very dark reason as to why Matthew jilted Omega, and he's very much afraid that the truth will make Omega despise him even more than she already does! Will Matthew relent and agree to protect James? And will he be able to persuade Omega to forgive him and agree to take a chance at loving him again?

Both these novels make for enjoyable reading. Carla Kelly displays her talent by taking two rather run-of-the-mill plots and tweaking them is such a manner as to make them fascinatingly different. I liked the fact that the heroes and heroines were not always overwhelmingly good looking, and that both Libby and Omega are the kinds of resilient and intelligent heroines that appeal and engage the reader to root for them to come out on top. Both these books make for excellent reading, and if you're looking for romances with nifty plotlines, appealing characters, and intelligent writing, look no further: this two-in-one deal is a must!

I've heard lots of good things about "Libby's London Merchant" before I even read the book, and I am glad to say that I wasn't disappointed. Carla Kelly is know for written Regency romances that stand apart from the masses, and this is one such book. In it Miss Kelly has given us an intelligent heroine, two extremely likable men in her life, and a cast of supporting characters that just came alive for me. The only problem is that I liked both Nez and Anthony Cook so much, that I couldn't help but be sad for the one who did not end up with her.

If this was the only book being rated, I would definitely give it 5 stars. As a 2 in 1 special edition, however, I had to bring the rating down a notch. "Miss Chartley's Guided Tour" was, at best, a bore and reads for a big portion of the book like a travel guide. The hero didn't make an appearance until 1/3 into the book, and when he finally did, we were deprived of watching the hero and heroine fall in love because that is already being taken as a given. Carla Kelly's strong suit has always been her characterization, but in this book, she chose to focus on plot instead and the result was less than satisfying. As a result, I could only give this combined volume 3 stars.

Let me get it off my chest immediately: this is a really dumb pairing of books. "Libby's London Merchant" is closely tied to "One Good Turn," and they make a natural pairing. So, if you haven't read Carla Kelly before, you haven't lived--no, no! Make that 'you need to start with "Libby." ' Of course, if you like Heyer and you haven't read Kelly, it's also true that you really haven't lived. On the other hand, you'll also be glad to make Miss Chartley's acquaintance: her "guided" tour, which turns out to be very "UNguided," is a delight, and so is she.
Why do I invoke Ms Heyer? Because Kelly, like Heyer, moves her plot along smoothly, and her style, while completely her own, tells you that you are in the hands of a mistress of the genre: quiet, smooth, effective. Like many other modern Regencies, there's a lot more overt sexuality than you would find in Heyer--but that's still less than most, and her "sex scenes" have a way of catching you unawares, just as they might in life. You don't say "Oh wow!" You say "that's right."
READ THIS BOOK!
I could go on & on, but with a 1000 character limit, it's difficult to describe all the things I like. Her characters, for instance: very believable, with bad qualities as well as good ones. Her charm. Her humor. Her fun. And her morality: not preachy, just emerging naturally from the actions of her characters, and the actions emerging from the nature of the charact.....I KNEW I couldn't finish!

I have been reading Regencies since I was a teen and a friend got this tomboy hooked on Georgette Heyer. Her books are still my standard for wit, fun and story, but I am adding Carla Kelly onto my list.

Regencies are formulaic, which is ok once you expect it. Handsome peer beats out commoner, usually. The one with the dark secret beats out the obvious good guy.

In Libby's London Merchant, though, she really kept me spinning - who does she marry? I take issue with the reviewer who was disappointed that her pick didn't marry her, so the book wasn't worth the time. IT WAS GREAT to be kept guessing! I expected her to do the same thing with the characters in Miss Chartley's Guided Tour, but she didn't. THANK YOU!

One problem I have been having with Regencies lately is the amount of sex taking over the books, especially when the leads aren't married. Thanks again for keeping it clean enough to lend to my pastor's wife.

This is an anthology containing two of Carla Kelly's novels reissued; I will review each separately.

LIBBY'S LONDON MERCHANT

Benedict Nesbit, Duke of Knaresborough, is being plagued by his sister to choose a wife. His friend Eustace, Earl of Devere, is pestering him to spy on the woman whom Eustace's family want him to marry - an heiress, but he's never met her and she could be ugly, or a shrew. Anxious to escape his sister, Nez agrees to help Eustace, and duly assumes the role of a chocolate-selling merchant and has an accident in his carriage - but worse than he'd planned - outside Libby Ames' home. She takes him in and, with the help of the local doctor, squire's son Anthony Cook, nurses him.

What Nez doesn't know, though, is that Libby has a cousin, Lydia, with whom she and her mother and mentally-handicapped brother live. Lydia, who has just departed for Brighton, is the heiress. Libby is ineligible; her mother was the daughter of a tobacconist, and her father was disinherited and disowned for marrying her. Between them, Libby and the doctor discover that Nez is an alcoholic - he drinks to forget the horrors of Waterloo - and so, while the injuries from his accident are quickly healed, they make him stay so that they can wean him off alcohol.

And so the `chocolate merchant' and Libby spend time together, and become close. Libby also spends a lot of time with the doctor - Anthony - during this time, and the overweight, bumbling, somewhat ugly man she's always seen as a figure of fun turns out to be solid, dependable and an excellent listener, as well as a cool hand in a crisis. A kiss from Nez appears to seal Libby's fate... until Anthony kisses her too. And then all is revealed about Nez's identity, and Libby receives two proposals... one later amended to a proposition once the duke discovers Libby's ineligibility.

But which man does she love? And, assuming that Nez changes his mind, whom should she marry?

It is extremely difficult to `cheer' for one suitor over another; Carla Kelly does an excellent job of making us like both. Both have flaws: the duke's pride, the doctor's tendency to secretiveness and withdrawal. Both have positive, even heroic, traits. One can offer Libby so much more, in terms of material things, than the other, while the other cannot even offer dependability in terms of always being there when she needs him - he is always on call, to the point of sometimes not sleeping for days on end when needed by patients. Nez would cherish her; Anthony is practical and would see her as a partner and helpmate.

A memorable, out of the ordinary novel about characters who ring true and who stayed in my head for hours after I had finished it - highly recommended. One of Kelly's best! There is a sequel: One Good Turn - and, as at least one other reviewer has commented, it makes no sense at all that her publisher did not include this with LLM instead of Miss Chartley's Guided Tour.

And speaking of which... MISS CHARTLEY'S GUIDED TOUR

Miss Omega Chartley, a schoolmistress, is changing jobs and has several weeks in which to make the journey from the south-west to the north, where her new school is located. So she embarks on a guided tour, something which she has promised herself for some time to do. Unfortunately, her plans are very soon disrupted when she helps a young boy to escape from a Bow Street Runner and finds herself penniless and on the run. She and the boy fall in with a wounded former soldier and his adopted daughter, and the four of them go in search of the boy's uncle, a viscount.

The viscount turns out to be Matthew Bering, Omega's former fiancé and the man who ditched her at the altar eight years ago. She never knew why he had failed to turn up for their wedding; he never explained, nor replied to any correspondence subsequently. She has told herself for years that she hates him. Yet when she sees him again she falls in love with him all over again.

What was his reason for abandoning her at the altar? How does he feel about her now? Is there any possibility of a second chance for the two of them?

As is her usual habit, Carla Kelly creates convincing and likeable characters, and this is as true of her secondary characters as much as the hero and heroine. I found myself at times warming to Omega's soldier companion, Hugh, even more so than to Matthew, and hoping at one point that Omega would marry Hugh.

My main problem with Miss Chartley's Guided Tour is that Matthew's explanation for his jilting of Omega, when we finally hear it, sounds very far-fetched - and Matthew's own reaction to the events of eight years ago, the way he has closed himself off from the world, just sounds like the behaviour of a coward and an idiot. Did he question nothing? Was he so wrapped up in his own feelings that he never gave a single thought to how he had hurt Omega? When he heard about her father's death and *knew* that she was left penniless, did he have no feelings at all? The way he lives, cloistered in his country estate and with an entire wardrobe of clothes ordered especially for Omega kept in his closets, reminds me somewhat of Miss Havisham in Dickens' Great Expectations: this is a man who is shutting himself off from reality and living in some sort of cobwebby fantasy of the past. To me, that's not a romantic hero.

However, the writing itself and the other characters merit three stars; Matthew is simply one of Kelly's less successful heroes.

If you're a fan of Kelly's and haven't read either of these two, you'll want to get this anthology. If you already have Libby's London Merchant, then this book probably isn't worth buying just for Miss Chartley's Guided Tour.

wmr-uk

In "Libby's London Merchant", the heroine, Libby is a charming, down-to-earth woman who unexpectedly has a choice of two suitors. One, the victim of an accident who turns out to be a duke, and two, the local doctor who has loved her for years.
Carla Kelly has the ability to write regencies of unusual depth and darkness. One character is an alchoholic, another is a brain-damaged boy who is the victim of prejudice. Some of the darkness can be hard to take sometimes. In most of her books, Kelly describes some harrowing
occurance(s), involving her characters. Unlike other authors, she does not tie things up by giving everyone their comeuppance. In some instances, the main characters either accept or are expected to somehow forgive some really terrible things. In Libby's London Merchant, the doctor, who is a kind man, sees his father badly injuring the brain damaged boy, and hitting Libby. He simply steps in-between, speaks sharply to his father, and gives medical attention. Thats a pretty mild reaction. No one seems to react very strongly against bad behavior in Kelly books. The usual reaction seems to run the gamut from resignation to a sharp look or word.
In "Miss Chartley's Guided Tour", Omega Chartley was left at the altar some years earlier by her fiance. She comes across a boy running away from his cruel guardian, and decides to help him get to his uncle. The uncle, of course, turns out to be the former fiance.
My problem with this story is twofold. Firstly, the fiance's actions that led him to leave Omega at the altar, really were disgusting. I'm not so sure he was worth forgiving, even though he wasn't as guilty as he thought he was. Aside from that, his subsequent behavior is little short of cowardly, irresponsible and rather stupid. The reader can see what's coming a mile away. Why can't he? Frankly, I couldn't imagine what Omega saw in him, and thought she'd be much better off with the one-armed sergeant she had been travelling with.

I especially enjoyed LIBBY'S LONDON MERCHANT. There is quite a bit of character development and an unusual ending. If you enjoy this book you will want to read the sequel, ONE GOOD TURN, where you can learn more about the Duke. I like the fact that Ms. Kelly usually has an historic note about real people and/or events included in her stories.

What can one say about near perfection? I have spent a lot of time, effort and money collecting all of Carla Kelly's books over the last year or so. I deliberately forced myself to spread out my reading of them over this period rather than gobbling up whole the entire opus, thus spinning out the utter delight I get from reading them. I have, to my great relief, still three to read! I bought this one even though I had already paid a lot of money for individual copies at auction because I wanted Carla Kelly to enjoy the royalties so as to encourage her to write more.

Reviewer Tregatt has already given details about the actual plots, etc. I only wish to say that the author's outstanding abilities in terms of accuracy (owing to good, sound research), her ability to bring utterly delectable characters to life and her elegant and pristine prose have given me some of the most enjoyable reading in my life. If only some of the paler regency wannabees took note and could achieve half of her standard. Georgette Heyer would recognise a fellow perfectionist.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Carla Kelly. You are a beacon in the dark to those of us who love well written regencies of high emotion (never maudlin) with characters we can love and believe in.

Both stories feature flawed, but lovable heroes and loving, resilient heroines who were themselves not strangers to tragedy. I must admit feeling quite envious of Libby having TWO such excellent suitors, and I felt terribly sorry for the one she had to turn down. But she chose the right one, and I know that Ms. Kelly will not long leave him to his self-pity because I have already ordered the sequel, "One Good Turn," in which he meets his own true mate.